This invention relates to methods and apparatus for handling and transporting sheet metal stampings and more particularly to methods and apparatus specially suitable for handling sheet metal stampings utilized in the fabrication of motor vehicle bodies.
Modern day motor vehicle bodies comprise a base or skeletal structure, commonly called a body-in-white, to which a series of sheet metal stampings are suitably attached to form the final exterior configuration of the vehicle body. These stampings include, for example, hoods, deck lids, roof panels, quarter panels and door panels. These stampings are produced by stamping facilities in mass quantities and it is necessary to receive the stampings emerging from the stamping facilities and transport them to the site of the vehicle body assembly. During such transport, it is imperative that the stamping be protected from both surface or cosmetic damage as well as from stresses such as might produce structural damage to the stampings. It is also imperative that the transport of the stampings from the stamping facility to the body fabrication site be done in a minimum of time and with a minimum of labor so as to minimize the ultimate cost of the vehicle. Various methods and apparatus are currently in use to transport sheet metal stampings within and between automotive facilities. For example, various forms of racks and containers are currently used in which the stampings are placed, utilizing suitable customized dunnage to protect the panels from damage during transport. However, these prior art racks and containers utilizing customized dunnage require that the dunnage be individually prepared for each use of the rack and container, require relatively complicated maneuvers to ensure that the stampings are suitably positioned within the rack or container in association with the dunnage, require relatively complicated maneuvers to ensure that the stampings are removed from the container or rack without damage, and require frequent replacement of the dunnage since the dunnage is frequently damaged or destroyed in the process of the loading, transporting, or unloading operations.